There had been a competitive auction for the new original series project “Rabbit, Rabbit,” as Netflix has come away with the stellar hostage thriller series from Media Rights Captial that’ll star Oscar-winner Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”) in the lead role as it hails from veteran screenwriter Peter Craig and recent Emmy-winner Philip Barantini (“Boiling Point”) set to direct. The latter is coming off the phenomenal success of the British drama series “Adolescence” that blew everyone away and learned eight statues, including acting awards for Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and series breakout Owen Cooper.
This will mark Driver’s first big return to television since 2017 after his comedic HBO series “Girls” ended, and should be considered a huge deal for Netflix, as the streaming giant previously worked with the actor on recent Noah Baumbach films “Marriage Story” and “White Noise.”
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An official logline for the thriller series via Netflix:
When an escaped convict is cornered by law enforcement at a truck stop, he takes hostages in an effort to bargain for his freedom. But the standoff soon escalates into an unmanageable social experiment with his captives, as well as an emotional poker match with a veteran FBI Crisis Negotiator trained in “tactical empathy.”
Craig’s previous writing credits consist of “The Town,” “The Batman,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Bad Boys For Life,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Parts 1-2,” “The Mother,” and Ridley Scott‘s “Gladiator II.” His solo TV credit is “Dope Thief,” the recent Apple TV series that Craig created/showran and earned actor Bryan Tyree Henry an Emmy nomination.
Most recently, Driver was seen in Francis Ford Coppola‘s “Megalopolis,” Jim Jarmusch‘s “Father Mother Sister Brother” (coming to theaters on December 24), has completed work on James Gray‘s crime pic “Paper Tiger,” is attached to Ron Howard‘s military drama “Alone At Dawn” co-starring with Anne Hathaway, and is set to appear in Chris Rock‘s latest directorial effort, “Misty Green” at A24.
We don’t know exactly what this means for his potential participation in Michael Mann‘s “Heat 2” at Amazon MGM Studios, as there had been chatter of Driver possibly reuniting with his “Ferrari” director for the crime sequel/prequel. Also, we recently learned that Driver, Steven Soderbergh (the two worked together on the rural American heist comedy “Logan Lucky“), and Scott Z. Burns had teamed up for “The Hunt for Ben Solo,” a “Star Wars” film that was axed by Disney after being greenlit.
“Rabbit, Rabbit” has been ordered straight to series, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long before the rest of the cast is announced. The show’s executive producing team includes Driver alongside Craig and Samantha Beddoe for their banner, It’s All Made Up Productions, Bryan Unkeless (“I, Tonya”) for his and Craig’s Night Owl.
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